Sacred Heart & Our Lady's Collaborative

      Newton, MA

The Sacred Heart/Our Lady Help of Christians Collaborative is committed to being a living Gospel to all those we meet.

We strive to encounter Christ, respond in love, and share the Good News of our faith for the realization of God's Kingdom. 

If you are new to this site and to our collaborative, welcome! If you are a long time parishioner, welcome back! We hope you find what you are searching for. 

"There are times when words fail us - when they do not capture the depth of overwhelming situations we sometimes face in life. For the Church in the United States this is one of those times. 

While many perpetrators have been held accountable in one way or another for their crimes, we have yet to establish clear and transparent systems of accountability and consequence for Church leadership whose failures have allowed these crimes to occur. The Church must embrace spiritual conversion and demand legal transparency and pastoral accountability for all who carry out its mission. This transformation is not easily achieved, but in all aspects it is imperative. The way we prepare priests, the way we exercise pastoral leadership and the way we cooperate with civil authorities; all these have to be consistently better than has been the case.

As I have stated previously, there are immediate actions that we can and must take. The clock is ticking for all of us in Church leadership, Catholics have lost patience with us and civil society has lost confidence in us. But I am not without hope and do not succumb to despondent acceptance that our failures cannot be corrected. As the Church we have the responsibility to help people not to lose hope, that was Jesus’ message to all those he ministered to, especially in times of great trial. There is too much good in the Church and in our faith to lose hope. Often it is survivors who courageously teach us we cannot lose hope.

Although “zero tolerance” of sexual abuse has been declared and pursued and programs of advocacy and protection of children have been adopted in dioceses throughout country, the memory, the record, the burden carried by survivors and every other fact of sexual abuse stay with the Church. We can never become complacent, this is a life-long ongoing work that demands the highest levels of our constant awareness and attention.

The crisis we face is the product of clerical sins and clerical failures. As a Church, the conversion, transparency and accountability we need is only possible with the significant involvement and leadership of lay men and women in our Church, individuals who can bring their competence, experience and skills to the task we face. We need the help of the laity to address this scourge on our people and Church. If the Church proceeds with deep recognition of these realities the future can hold the opportunity to earn back trust, confidence and support from the community of Catholics and our society. We must proceed quickly and with purpose; there is no time to waste.

Archdiocese of Boston Office of Pastoral Support and Child Protection
To survivors in the Archdiocese of Boston who struggle to process their pain and whose wounds are opened especially wide with the reports from Pennsylvania, please know that Vivian Soper, Director of the Archdiocese’s Office of Pastoral Support and Child Protection, and her colleagues stand ready to provide assistance. We encourage you to contact Vivian at 617-746-5985. To the survivors and their loved ones, we must again apologize and ask forgiveness. While much has been accomplished in the protection of children with the participation of the laity, there remains much more to be done. We are committed to the fulfillment of this responsibility as a continuing priority for the work of the Church.

To read this statement in another language, please visit http://www.bostoncatholic.org/Utility/News-And-Press/Content.aspx?id=34947
To view this statement from Cardinal Sean in video form (English), visit https://vimeo.com/285548145

The Collaborative has now shifted to its summer schedule for Daily Masses. This will run through Monday, September 3 (Labor Day). Schedule is as follows:

Monday-Wednesday-Friday at Our Lady's at 7:00am
Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday at Sacred Heart (Lower Church) at 9:00am

Click on the photo below to see Mass times at other area parishes.

Want to know what's going on in the collaborative?  Sign-up for the Weekend Update emails, and get the four most important things to know each Friday morning. To register, fill out our online form at sholnewton.org/weekendupdate

Did you worship with us on June 9 or 10? If so, you heard our Explanation Mass. The text is now available online to read, reflect, and share with others. Why do we do what we do in Mass? Find out!

Also, beginning in early April, the bulletin contains a reflection on one part of the Mass. They are running sequentially for several months.

To read the Explanation Mass text or bulletins reflections on Mass, head to Go Deeper.

- Our Lady Help of Christians -


- Sacred Heart -